More In Your Life

Kemble's eclectic show is Za Zu Zazzy

GROVER KEMBLE

Posted: Dec. 5, 2013 10:22 am Updated: Dec. 19, 2013 5:00 pm

By ROBERT PRICEbprice@njherald.com

BLAIRSTOWN -- Grover Kemble likes to use the word "eclectic" to describe his band's performing style and musical selections. He learned from one of the more eclectic groups in rock and roll history -- Sha Na Na.

That's not to say that Kemble -- a swinging jazzman at his core -- performs 1950s doo-wop music. But what he learned from his two-year stint (1970-71) as a member of Sha Na Na was showmanship.

"I learned a lot on tour with them for two years. It was probably an influence on my show now," said Kemble, who will perform Saturday at the Historic Blairstown Theatre, with his band Za Zu Zaz.

Kemble's legendary live performances feature a unique and colorful blend of jazz, Latin, R&B and original compositions that has garnered accolades from music aficionados and critics for four decades. Armed with an inimitable vocal style, a razor sharp sense of humor and formidable guitar chops, Kemble is a consummate showman and has played to enthusiastic audiences across the USA and Europe.

"The band is very eclectic; I'm gonna say this band is theatrical in nature. We try to get people involved in the show. We take a lot of chances," said Kemble, 65, of Morris Plains, in a telephone interview on Monday.

Kemble's band consists of Regan Ryzuk on piano, Bob Marks on guitar, banjo and mandolin, Tim Metz on bass and John Hvasta on drums. One of his former students, guitarist Harry Noble of the Quimby Mountain Band, will sit in on Saturday. Folkies Kate & Paul will open the show.

Kemble says his music has a "jazzy flavor" but is meant to entertain, with elements of swing and blues.

"I've always been known as an entertainer. It's not real heady jazz. I do Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darin and, of course, some of my own stuff," Kemble said.

Kemble downplays his time with Sha Na Na as a bit of a commercial lull for the band. "I was there right in between Woodstock and the TV show," he said, referring to Sha Na Na's breakout performance at the 1969 Woodstock festival and their syndicated variety series that ran from 1977 to 1981. "There wasn't a lot going on during those years, but we did travel around the country and played all the big venues like both Fillmores and Winterland. I played with Bowzer, Scott Simon and Lennie Baker, among others."

Kemble began playing professionally in his early teens. He has since played many of the Northeast's top venues and festivals, including The Bottom Line and The Other End, both in New York City, and the Newport Jazz Festival. Beyond the region he's performed at The Roxy in Los Angeles, the Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, and the Wolf Trap Jazz Festival in Virginia.

Kemble has also played in a duo setting with world-renowned jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and accompanied Pizzarelli's band at the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. Internationally, he has been a regular performer at the world-famous Jazz Keller in Frankfurt, Germany.

Kemble's recordings include his first, "All That Zaz" with Za Zu Zaz in 1983; "Follow" in 1994; "Grover Kemble and Jazz Jump ... Live at Shanghai Jazz," with Pizzarelli, in 1998; "Laid It On The Line," with Bob Marks, in 2005, and "Reflections of Ray," a showcase of Ray Charles music, in 2007.